The Tampa ballpark was meant to be a hurricane relief hub. Milton took off.

Milton made landfall near Sarasota on Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane and left millions of customers without power as it barreled across the Florida peninsula. The local government said in a statement that no injuries were reported at Tropicana Field, but urged the public to avoid the area and continue to shelter in place until further notice.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management had plans in place before the storm Turn Tropicana Field into a 10,000-person base camp “to support ongoing debris operations and post-landfall responders,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said in a statement Tuesday. An image circulated by a Florida news station this week shows an arena filled with cots.

But the staging area was moved to Jacksonville because of concerns that the 34-year-old ballpark's roof would not hold up, DeSantis said during a news briefing Thursday.

“Tropicana Field is a routine staging area for these things,” DeSantis said. “The roof on that … I think it was rated at 110 miles per hour, and so the forecast changed, but as it became clear that there was going to be something of that magnitude in the distance, they repositioned them to the Tropicana.”

Jeremy Redfern, a spokesman for DeSantis, did not respond to questions about why Jacksonville was selected for the backup staging area, even though it is about a three-hour drive from the hard-hit Tampa Bay area.

Nicknamed “The Trop,” the 1.1-million-square-foot, multipurpose stadium has been home to the Rays since the team's inaugural season in 1998. The ballpark's distinctive tilting roof was designed to withstand winds of up to 115 mph, the team's media guide said, describing it as “the world's largest cable-supported domed roof.” The roof “supports itself with six acres of transparent, Teflon-coated fiberglass and 180 miles of cable attached by struts,” according to the media guide.

Footage from Tropicana Field, shared on social media Wednesday by former NFL tight end Dave Moore, who was riding in a nearby storm, showed bright lights inside the field and torn roofing cloth flying in the wind.

Major League Baseball spokesman Michael Teavan said in an email that “our hearts and prayers are with the entire Tampa Bay community and all the families affected by this storm across Florida.”

The Rays declined to comment on whether they would be able to play at the stadium next season, citing ongoing negotiations with the Tivan team. Tropicana Field will be replaced by a $1.3 billion ballpark, ready in time for the 2028 season.

“In the coming days and weeks, we hope to be able to assess the actual condition of Tropicana Field,” Ray said in a statement. “In the meantime, we are working with law enforcement to secure the building.”

Milton's deadly storms flooded parts of Raymond James Stadium, where three Super Bowls have been held. Videos and photos posted on social media showed the stadium quickly filling with floodwaters.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is leading the federal response to Milton, announced last month that it is partnering with the NFL to turn football stadiums across the country into emergency shelters, makeshift hospitals and other places needed during disasters. did

So far, four NFL venues have signed on to the FEMA initiative: Raymond James Stadium; MetLife Stadium in western New York, home of the Jets and Giants; Acrisar Stadium in Pittsburgh, home of the Steelers; and Seattle's Lumen Field, home of the Seahawks. SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., where the Rams and Chargers play, is expected to join.

The Buccaneers aren't scheduled to play at Raymond James again until Oct. 21. Eric Hart, president and CEO of the Tampa Sports Authority, said Raymond James suffered “mostly all cosmetic damage” and that the floodwaters had receded by Thursday afternoon. He expressed confidence that the stadium could be used for first responders during Milton and other disasters, though he cautioned that “I don't speak for the NFL.”

Tim Schlitner, an NFL spokesman, said in an email that “the good news is that all damage is minimal and response orders are still in effect.” He did not respond to follow-up questions; FEMA spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

of Milton Remembering Katrina's loss Demolition occurred in 2005, when the roof was torn apart by wind The Superdome, where more than 20,000 people were sheltering, allowed the rain to pour inside. Before the storm, the roof was believed to be equipped to withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour, according to the AP.

Doug Quinn, CEO of United Survivors Disaster Relief, said that while the goals of the FEMA initiative are laudable, many disaster victims may have been reluctant to seek shelter in stadiums after Katrina and Milton.

“Probably one of the biggest horror stories of Katrina was what happened at the Superdome,” he said.